November 9, 2013. Elsys Instruments, a manufacturer of custom and standard fast, high-precision data-acquisition systems, now offers BallAX 3, a comprehensive software module specifically designed to acquire and analyze internal ballistics measurement data.
Thanks to a flexible driver interface, the new ballistics analysis software supports a range of charge, pressure, and optical sensors from various manufacturers for high-speed, comprehensive data acquisition.
BallAX 3 is used to acquire and analyze measurement data from firearms, guns, artillery, projectiles, and grenades using different ammunition and explosive propellants. Data gathered by the software aids in determining the accuracy and consistency of a projectile before it exits a firearm.
Manufacturers of firearms ranging from basic hunting rifles to critical military artillery will benefit from the precision data afforded by this industry-specific software module.
As an add-on to Elsys’ universal TranAX 3 data acquisition software, BallAX 3 easily interfaces with the company’s TPCX/TPCE waveform digitizer data acquisition cards and its turnkey TraNET data acquisition systems. TranAX 3 is a client-server application and remotely controls data acquisition systems over local area networks.
To make work flow accurate and efficient, complete system settings and data related to a project can be stored and recalled from disk. BallAX 3 easily creates and archives settings for header data, measurement configurations, waveform data and connected hardware such as charge amplifiers.
The analysis and visualization of a test series can be done by a simple click of the mouse, eliminating the need for external development tools to write code. The software can be installed on any Windows-based computer system running Windows XP or newer (32-bit and 64-bit).
Typical measurement values acquired by BallAX 3 include up to 16 pressure signals and two temperature signals as well as two velocity signals, each measured with two inductors or light barriers. Values measured by radar can be entered manually.
From these measured values, BallAX 3 can compute, graphically display and generate a protocol with over 30 single value results, including pressure values (Pmax), time analysis (shot ignition delay time, time of Pmax, shot time), velocities, calculation of muzzle velocity as well as Delta-T and Cadence for continuous fire measurements.
The core specification range covered by Elsys’ digitizer modules spans sampling rates from 2 MS/s to 240 MS/s at 14-bit and 16-bit resolution with both single-ended and differential input stages.
Unique trigger modes, such as scope, block, streaming and event controlled recording, make waveform data acquisition versatile and flexible in the demanding field of ballistics studies. Many data acquisition channels can be rapidly and easily configured into turn-key systems for various measurement tasks.
All Elsys data acquisition products are remotely controlled via LAN, which makes them especially well-suited for ballistics applications, where personnel safety is the first order of business.